Formats

It is by no means a given that we will once again be able to offer you a few bottles of the rare 18th edition of Ornellaia's "Vendemmia d'Artista" 2023 in 0.75-litre bottles this year. As usual, this special edition is rare and highly sought-after, as each wooden case of six contains just one bottle of this limited-edition collector's item.

It was the wine journalist Francesco Arrigoni who wrested a promise from Franz Haas. He had seen the beauty of these high-altitude vineyards, surrounded by meadows and woods in the municipality of Aldein, where only wild game roams, and recognised the quality that grew from this one plot: the Pònkler. Arrigoni's request was that it should be bottled separately. A promise the estate kept – even though, at first, it was impossible to know how the wine from the grapes of such a young vineyard would develop.

Powerful, very attractive wine. Smells of strawberry and cherry, spices and a hint of leather. Tastes juicy, very special and impresses with firm tannin and persistent length. SUPERIORE.DE

Seven hectares surrounded by a hostile world. The Vigna Fracia is located where the Alpine valleys meet, where glacial winds ensure temperatures that are below the average for the already cool Valtellina. It is historically the coldest zone in the region – and yet lavender and rosemary grow wild here between the dry stone walls. This contradiction has characterised the wine since 1897, when Nino Negri acquired this parcel: his oldest, his most idiosyncratic. Where the Sforzato Carlo Negri favours concentration through drying, the Vigna Fracia chooses the classic path. No appassimento method, no sultana sweetness – instead a pure red wine vinification that preserves the Nebbiolo's alpine freshness. After fermentation, the wine rests for twelve months in medium-sized oak barrels, followed by two years of bottle ageing in the valley. At the end of 2020, the magnums began their ascent: five years in the rock cellars of Bormio and Livigno at 3,000 metres. Two paths, one goal – altitude as the finishing touch.

Luce Brunello has been one of the icons in the large portfolio of Frescobaldi wines from Tuscany for years. The 2019 edition opens with great power and determination with ripe fruit flavours of blackberries and candied cherries. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and very harmonious thanks to the bright acidity and the overall quality of the primary fruit flavours of this excellent vintage. The tannins are well woven into the full-bodied density of the wine. Be sure to aerate or, better still, leave to mature for a few years in the cellar. SUPERIORE.DE

Here is arguably one of Italy's finest Cabernet Francs: bluish hues mingle with ruby red. The deep bouquet offers blackberries and hints of roasted coffee, followed as the wine opens up by notes of sea scrub, balsamic and minty notes. On the palate, full-bodied and silky tannins with hints of violets and mint, offering flavour and freshness. All this is underpinned by a refined elegance that carries through to a harmonious and lingering finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon Toren is the only red cru from Tiefenbrunner's rare Vigna line and comes from a 0.6 ha micro-location with clay and limestone gravel soils: sparkling garnet red with a slight violet tinge. Very intense and appealing nose, with aromas of cassis, blackberry, tobacco and mint. Rich, concise fruit on the palate, mountains of cassis and cranberries, juicy and dense, builds beautifully with ripe tannins, long final. The name suffix "Secundo" was chosen for this vintage as there was unfortunately only a tiny harvest in 2021 and, unlike its predecessors, the wine is characterised by more finesse and elegance than the usual unbridled power and opulence. SUPERIORE.DE

Here comes the third vintage of Stefano Frascolla's heart project from the Alta Maremma. Just 2,500 bottles of this 100% Syrah are bottled, aged (on the skins) for half a year in amphorae, then filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

There comes a moment in the history of every small winery when it stops having to prove itself – and begins to remember. Clelia Romano started out in Arianello di Lapio in 1994, with just a few hectares and one firm belief: that Fiano, grown on these volcanic limestone-marl soils, at altitudes of between 480 and 620 metres, in the Apennine hills of Irpinia, could be one of Italy's great white wines. The critics proved her right – swiftly and unequivocally. Today, she runs the estate together with her daughter Carmela. The wine, which bears the founder's name, is a testament to both generations.

From the oldest Merlot plot in the Le Sondraie vineyards comes Bell'Aja’s flagship wine – a wine that impressively demonstrates the ambition of the San Felice project in Bolgheri. Since 2016, this estate has rounded off the historic group’s interpretation of Tuscan wine: from the hills of Chianti Classico, through the prestigious vineyards of Montalcino, to this shining jewel on the Etruscan coast. Bell’Aja Superiore embodies the pure essence of a unique terroir: 95% Merlot from the estate’s most venerable vines blends with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon to create a wine of impressive power and opulence. The sandy-clay soils of the Le Sondraie area, just five kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea, lend this Bordeaux-inspired blend the maritime minerality that makes Bolgheri one of the most fascinating terroirs in the wine world.

At the southern foot of the Margreider Schuttkegel is a vineyard with the dialect name "Punggl", which has been known and coveted for viticulture since time immemorial. In the mid-1950s, the former owners of the Hirschprunn estate planted a vineyard there with Merlot, as it had already produced very good results in previous decades. In 1995, the grapes from this vineyard proved to be of such first-class quality that they inspired Luis von Dellemann, the Oenologistresponsible at the time, to vinify these grapes as a single variety - since then, and only in the best years, this strictly selected grape material has formed the basis for the MCM.

The Montepulciano vines for this powerful and terroir-rich Montepulciano grow on the Campo San Giorgio vineyard at an altitude of about 150 m on deep, chalky clay soils. The wine is unfiltered and unfined and matures for 12 months in small and large wooden barrels. The label represents the historic design of the Rosso Conero of the 1970s and the impressive result is the calling card of a long family tradition and expertise in viticulture.

The Paesaggio Inatteso selection comes from Camigliano's 3.5-hectare "La Magia" vineyard, which has mineral and calcareous soils. Only just under 3,000 bottles are bottled. It offers a more robust style and a stronger aromatic intensity than the Annata. Bright red with an amber-coloured rim. On the nose, round notes of walnut shells, roasted hazelnuts and linseed, as well as red plums, pomegranate seeds and green olives. Traces of incense and cardamom in the background. Full-bodied, lively tannins on the palate, with hints of red berries and flowers leading to an intense and long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Just 2,500 bottles of this 100% Syrah are bottled, aged (on the skins) for six months in amphorae, then filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit aromas of pomegranate and cherry, and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. On the palate, fresh rose sugar and graphite, accompanied by raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberries. A long finish with a subtle hint of cassis. SUPERIORE.DE

A distinctive expression of southern elegance, shaped by the terroir of the Maremma and a cuvée that ingeniously combines Syrah and Grenache. The vines for the Tinata grow on loamy, calcareous soils on a hillside, not far from the Tyrrhenian coast near Capalbio. The 2021 vintage was balanced and almost ideal: a moderately warm summer, without any drought stress, followed by a long, sunny autumn – perfect conditions for fully ripe, aromatically complex grapes.

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruity aromas of pomegranate and cherry, and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. On the palate, fresh rose sugar and graphite, accompanied by raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberries. A long finish with a subtle hint of cassis. SUPERIORE.DE

At the very top of the Serradenari parcel, the fruit grows for an exceptional Barolo, with which the young winemaker Giulia Negri has truly created a monument to herself. Marassio clearly benefits from the cool climate of Piedmont's high altitudes and will therefore hardly change its character even if the climate continues to change.

Duemani has just 7,000 Syrah vines – the estate's smallest plot, yet perhaps the most precious. Suisassi, this enigmatic name, which evokes the sound of the nearby surf, embodies Elena's very own vision: to create a Syrah that imitates neither the Rhône nor South Australia, but captures the Tuscan coast in all its wild beauty. Luca D'Attoma, who helped create Le Macchiole's legendary Scrio as a consultant, applies the same philosophy here: 30% of the grapes are fermented as whole bunches to enhance the aromatic complexity, spontaneous yeast fermentation in conical oak vats and small 1,Liters preserves the fruit's vibrancy, before the wine is left to rest for 20 months in French barriques.

For us, the pure Cabernet Franc from Duemani is one of the best representatives of the grape variety and the western Tuscan coastal region. The bouquet has an extraordinary clarity of dark plum, coffee and wild roses. Rich and with a perfectly integrated woody note on the palate, its strength, structure and elegance are particularly fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE

Suisassi is rich and expressive. The bouquet convinces with aromas of sage, rosemary, wild flowers, liquorice, violets and plums. Very full and round on the palate with memories of berries, chocolate and nuts. Elegant and intellectual, still needs time. SUPERIORE.DE